Last.fm to Add Video to Site. Buggles Vindicated Once Again.

Apparently being PC Magazine's current Site of the Week just wasn't good enough for Last.fm. My current destination for all things Internet radio had to go and get better. The London-based company announced today that it will be adding music video to their site, giving users the ability to create streaming, personalized music video versions of the Last.fm's radio stations. No definite date yet on when the feature will actually be rolled out.

The first chunk of musical content will be provided by indie labels like Ninja Tune, Domino, Warp, and Mute. Videos from EMI, Warner, and some 20,000 indies will follow soon after. The site has the modest goal of offering, "every music video ever made...from the latest hits to underground obscurities to classics from the past." It seems a little overzealous, sure, but considering the fact that music videos have always essentially been overblown promotional devices, the labels may actually be more than happy to get in on the ground floor. Of course, even with every video, ever, content will still be limited, compared to the song selection. For some reason, all of my favorite Ghanian highlife stars are a bit less likely to churn out the videos than, say, Britney Spears and her ilk.

I for one will be sticking to the radio stations--I'm something of a passive Internet radio listener, streaming songs in the background as I work, which is why I've been so obsessed with the ambient, 20th century classical, and chamber jazz stations, as of late. For those who lament the days when music video stations played music videos, this may prove a great option, and maybe Internet videos will kill the Internet radio stars--you know, if the RIAA doesn't do the job first.

Oh, and two Appscout extra credit points to the first person to guess the video that the above still is taken from. It's one of my personal favorites.

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